In the
United States,
improvisation (in the
theatre) is often abbreviated as
improv. In the United Kingdom, the word is abbreviated to
impro.
Not a book on
improvisational comedy, but on
improvisation in the
theatre, by theatre
professor and
playwright Keith Johnstone.
The book is Johnstone's memoir of his time in the British educational system, and later as a theatre teacher, describing the nature of
creativity and creative blocks, rather than a list of
exercises or
games.
Some basic points of the book:
Along with
Viola Spolin's
Improvisation for the Theatre, one of the standard tomes used by American (and international) improv troupes to teach improvisation
theory.